Raiders to start Pryor against Chargers – Flynn now 3rd string

Terrelle Pryor will start at quarterback for the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night against the San Diego Chargers, coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday.

“He is symptom-free, so he’s clear,” Allen said.

Matt Flynn made his first start with the Raiders last Sunday. That was all head coach Dennis Allen needed to see. Flynn was demoted to third string on Wednesday. While Terrelle Pryor was recovering from a concussion, Flynn was busy piloting an offense that sputtered on third down and was only responsible for one offensive score. Flynn was also sacked seven times and threw an interception. Allen was critical of Flynn after the game and said that he didn’t “[see] the field very good.”

Six months ago the Raiders traded multiple draft picks and more than $6 million to the Seahawks for Flynn. They thought they had their franchise quarterback. Unfortunately the truth is, they value Flynn less than undrafted rookie Matt McGloin. “It is what it is. It didn’t work out,” Allen told reporters about Flynn. McGloin, a three-year starter at Penn State, was taking second-team snaps while Pryor was back with the first team.

The Raiders are still on the hook as Flynn is owed more than $2.8 million this season and has a cap hit of $7.6 million in 2014. Flynn being demoted to third-string obviously was not what Oakland had in mind when it shipped a fifth-round pick and a conditional pick to Seattle for him back in April.

Pryor sat out last week’s 24-14 loss to Washington after having suffered a concussion six days earlier against Denver. He had passed the NFL’s concussion protocol but was still exhibiting symptoms, such as sensitivity to light. As such, Allen said he chose to make him inactive and start Matt Flynn under center.

Flynn, acquired to be the franchise quarterback this offseason and paid $6.5 million, had a rough go of it against Washington in getting sacked seven times, fumbling twice and throwing a pick-six. For now, undrafted rookie Matt McGloin is the new backup.

“Listen, it is what it is,” Allen said. “It hasn’t worked out like we anticipated and we’ve got to make decisions and we’ve got to move forward and continue to go, and [Flynn is] going to continue to battle and scratch and claw, and I still believe that he’s a capable quarterback. But we’re going to give McGloin a chance.

“I like what [McGloin] brings to the table, as far as his competitiveness. He’s got some moxie to him. He just understands how to play the game. And I don’t think it’s too big for him. I think he’ll come in, if he’s called upon, to run the offense [and] I think he’ll do a good job. He’s smart, he throws an accurate ball, he’s got good arm strength, he’s good in decision-making. So I like what this kid has to work with.”